Noble Life V2
by SpartanCommando
Summary: Noble Six. Hyper Lethal Vector, one of Cortana's choosen. Assassin, Lone Wolf, a Grim Reaper. A Spartan, a Hero. A different breed of Super Soldier. The Noble Life that could have happened. Halo Reach AU. This a rewrite of my original succesful Halo fic.
1. Chapter 1

_A beginning is found after an end._

Noble Six watched as, what was almost certainly the final UNSC warship, the _Pillar of Autumn _left its dock near the Aszod ship breaking yards. The SPARTAN found it, if only in a fatalistic sense, amusing that the ship carrying humanity's game changer was leaving from a location where similar warships had been dismantled. The ships' atmospheric rocket pods activated and began to change its direction.

Six looked on as the rocket pods flames began to flicker slightly. Seconds later they began to detach from their position as the _Autumn's _engines activated. He tilted his head to keep the Halcyon Class Cruiser in his field of vision for a few moments longer. So much had been sacrificed, so much blood shed, all for this one launch. In his mind it would dishonor all that if he did not watch it leave Reach.

Reach. The Crown Jewel of Humanity, and soon to be sight of its greatest defeat. If Earth was considered the heart of humanity, then Reach was the heart of the UNSC. This one world, this one military facility, represented so much to his species. Reach had always been seen as safe, untouchable. How wrong they had all been, soon the very ground he now stood upon would be glassed. Just like the dozens of other human colonies now lost.

The last member of Noble Team could clearly remember the first time he had seen a planet glassed. It had been on a mission of a significantly more personal and painful, nature for him. A mission that had never gone on record and was unknown to all save him and a single living marine. The fate of that planet had been forever marked as one of his greatest regrets and accomplishments.

Noble Six had gone to the world of Elysium to destroy a facility under the control of an ex-UNSC scientist. The _monster _had created abominable creatures in the dozens of laboratories scattered over the worlds surface. Creatures which were eventually tested by luring the lieutenants' original Spartan team into a deathtrap. The Spartan-III returned to that world with the goal of ending the life of that scientist along with one, at least at the time, First Sergeant Avery Johnson, and a detachment of UNSC Marines. Johnson himself had his own reasons for his participation, which he had withheld from Six. Not that it had any impact on him due to the reasons he himself had.

Their attempt was an utter disaster resulting in the death of all of Johnson's marines. . . Or worse, captured and experimented upon. In the end, the desire for retribution still burning strong, Noble Six found a way to make the mission succeed. The answer came in the form of a long range communications facility located on Elysium's northernmost continent. The destruction of that world however was not his own doing.

That _honor_ fell to a small fleet of Covenant warships and their plasma weaponry.

The Spartan and Johnson managed to escape the planet before the arrival of the alien forces, reaching a UNSC Prowler sent to find the "rouge" Spartan. From the bridge of the warship he had watched as the Covenant burned every inch of Elysium, including the scientist and her experiments. That did not change the fact that he was responsible for the fate of that world. Thankfully the population of Elysium was relatively low, just under several thousand civilians. Civilians who died because Six wanted nothing more than to see the scientist pay for her crimes. The golden lands of that planet were forever gone from the galaxy thanks to him sending a broadcast to the coordinates where a single Covenant warship was sighted hours earlier.

Johnson had been appalled when he had discovered what the Spartan-III had done. He understood quite well why the world was annihilated however. The marine's reaction had been simply telling Six that he no longer had any trust in the super soldiers' plans. Johnson was demoted three ranks down by UNSC Command for his participation in Noble Six's unapproved mission. The Spartan himself received no such punishment save for the sharp words of Lieutenant Commander Ambrose himself.

"_None, NONE, of your team would have ever revealed anything to the Covenant! And no _sane_ member of the UNSC would ever just _let _them burn a world!" _

At the time Noble Six had not cared for those words. He deluded himself into believing that the Lieutenant Commander didn't know his team as well as he did. That avenging their loss was worth a single planet with no value to the UNSC whatsoever. Slowly he began to realize that was not true, not even slightly. Jasmine herself had been almost a daughter to the Commander in fact. And then he cooled down and was more disgusted with himself than any of the abominations. That was when it truly sank in that an entire _world_ was gone because of his thirst for vengeance. Backwater colony or not Elysium deserved his best efforts to protect it from the genocidal empire.

Now Reach shared the same fate as one of its many colonial siblings.

Despite all of its military might Reach could not stand up against the Covenant. The Millions of Troopers, Marines, Militia, Sailors, and Airman, the thousands of vehicles, the hundreds of warships. All useless and in the end, all but annihilated fighting a battle that had likely been lost before it had begun. He did take some solace in the knowledge that Reach wouldn't be forgotten, no matter who won the war. The damned aliens wouldn't forget the fact that humans had cost them so much to obtain their victory. The only report he had received on the space battle had mentioned that the Covenant armada had lost well over half of its number, and there was no doubt in his mind the aliens had encountered more than one type of hell on the ground.

If Dr. Halsey was actually correct, then the AI he had handed to Captain Keyes would have the knowledge it held used to, with some luck hopefully, turn the tide of the war. Certainly by simply being in the caverns beneath ONI Sword Base, Six had seen that there was, however long ago, a race of beings more powerful than the Covenant. Perhaps the crew of the _Autumn _would go of into the farthest reaches of space and discover some ancient super weapon, or technology. Or maybe the species still existed in some form elsewhere in the galaxy and could well be willing to aid them.

If their mission succeeded, whatever it may be, humanity may well survive the war. If they did then Reach would likely be remembered as the sight of the largest battle ever fought in galactic history. It certainly looked that way to him anyway. The Covenant had found Reach and then invaded with a fleet numbering in the hundreds. Its army landing with troops well into the billions given the large numbers of troops a single enemy warship carried. Reach had boasted over a 150 ships, over 300,000,000 defense personnel, twenty of the massive Orbital Defense Platforms, and then of course there were the Spartans.

Not even the best of humanity's soldiers could stop the massive Covenant war machine. He had an answer to Kat's question now, the thought of Noble Team's second in command brought up a wave of sadness. They were never losing the battle; they had lost it the moment the Covenant arrived en masse. As the _Pillar of Autumn _left his range of sight Six knew he was alone now. There were likely at the most only a few hundred survivors left on Reach, perhaps a few civilians were now waiting in a bunker, foolishly hoping that they could survive the glassing.

Six left his position on the ground and began climbing back up to the Mass Driver he had used to destroy a Covenant Assault cruiser. The little light left reflecting of his dark green MJOLNIR, and the small bits of gold around parts of his body. Reaching the top of the structure the Spartan looked off into the distance.

From his current high position he could make out a battle far from where he was. He could see a Scarab, and other Covenant vehicles engaging a small unit of Army Mechanized Infantry. The M808 MBT firing its 105mm High Velocity cannon doing very little to the massive behemoth destroying the few warthogs accompanying it. There was no hope for survival, not for them, not for him. Soon he watched the last of the attacking humans destroy a pair of Wraiths before they were in turn killed.

The Spartan felt some pride in the knowledge that the few humans left on this once beautiful world would not go quietly into permanent night. He was going to die on Reach, but first he would have to disobey Noble One's first order to him.

'_Leave that Lone Wolf stuff behind.' _

On Reach he felt something he had not felt for many years. He felt like part of a team, and despite his solo attitude during the years after he was taken out of Beta Company, it was something he had secretly missed. Now…. Now he was a lone wolf once again. Jorge, Kat, Carter, Emile. There was a chance Jun was still alive he assumed, after all Noble Teams' sniper was supposed to escort Dr. Halsey to CASTLE Base. The base was the most well protected installation on all Reach and would likely survive for a few days.

According to the Doctor, the Covenant was interested in strange artifacts. Six assumed that logically, CASTLE Base could have several such artifacts hidden inside. They would try to excavate the area and find a way in. If Jun made it with the doctor then he would have one mission left. Ensure that no intelligence of _any_ kind fell into enemy hands.

Six tilted his head to the side and glanced at the figure near him. Emile lay slumped on a small rail surrounded by two Elite Zealots, two small holes showing on his chest plate the exit for the tips of the energy sword that killed him. Typical to his killer nature the dying Spartan took the alien with him, the knife he kept on his shoulder embedded in the Zealots throat.

For the first time since the Covenant had arrived on Reach, Six found himself finally feeling the effects of the constant battles. Six felt all the injuries he had sustained, all the bruises, a few cracked bones, and three broken ribs. The pain would be unbelievable to the average human, but to a Spartan it was merely bothersome. Still he felt that he needed to take a real break, to rest before his final battle. There was still one thing he had to do before he allowed himself the luxury of a few minutes respite.

Six walked over to Emile's body and kneeled in front of it. The Spartan reached out and laid his hand on the base of the fallen Spartan's helmet. He began to short process of removing the piece of equipment and soon found himself staring at the face of the man who had at one point been Noble Teams' self proclaimed "merciless wrath," and warrior spirit. Dark skinned, slightly scared, a broken nose, blood flowing from several cuts, a pair of lips curled in a contented smile. The man had died the way he wanted, taking his enemy with him.

Six bowed his head to the late Noble Four in a short display of mourning. Raising his helmeted head back to face his dead Spartan brother, a green and gold armored hand reached for the dog tags previously covered by the helmet. Gently he slid the tags over Emile's head and then placed the helmet over his face again.

Lifting a hand over the side of his chest piece, Six opened a small compartment. He pulled out two more pairs of dog tags and added them to the one he held in his other hand. Closing his eyes Six pictured them once again, and saw their deaths occur once more. His photographic memory denied him the right to forget anything he ever saw, or did.

Six saw Jorge hand him the larger Spartans' own tags and grip his hand fiercely, before lifting him up and throwing him out into space. He saw Kat standing next to him in the elevator, her quiet voice beautiful to his ears carrying a trace of fear, saw her body fall halfway before he caught her. Then he remembered Carter and his complete faith in Six's ability to complete the mission, right up to when he crashed his pelican into a Scarab to give them a chance. And he replayed Emile stabbed in the back by a Zealot, the honor obsessed creature seemingly forgoing any such idea to kill the Spartan.

The Spartan-III particularly remembered the death of the very large and welcoming man.

_**An Elite Ultra was forced to the ground of the hangar by a force from behind it. The alien had been tackled from behind by a large mass of green and golden armor. It roared in defiance and attempted to force off its attacker from its back. In response to the roar the armored figure gripped its helmet with both hands and forced it to the cold floor once before snapping its neck. **_

_**The figure then quickly rolled off the alien's back and drew its sidearm. In rapid succession four shots were fired and killed a trio of the diminutive grunts shocked by the death of their leader. All around the armored mass the scattered traces of Army Troopers trading fire with the invaders was decreasing in size. Looking around he took notice of the fact that nearly all the troopers were dead or dying. The scattered clacking of their automatic weapons was their final act of protection for the planet below them. **_

_**Stepping away from the group of his most recent kills the he approached the only human survivor aside from him. The human soldier was large enough to easily dwarf him and was heavily armored, even by Spartan standards. After dropping his large machine gun to the ground the larger of the pair attempted to begin the activation of their makeshift bomb. **_

_**After several moments with no sign of effect the Spartan slammed his fist against the side of the bomb in frustration. Pausing to mutter silently under his breath the Spartan turned to face his companion. **_

"_**Well, I got good news and bad news. This bird took some fire and her thruster gimbal is toast. Which means the only way off this slag heap is gravity."**_ _**Noble Six shook his head in disbelief before reply. **_

"_**The good news is?" **_

"_**That is the good news Six." Jorge said seriously. **_

'At current velocity, fifty-three seconds to endpoint,_**' came the voice of their AI, Auntie Dot, over the COM. **_

"_**Well isn't that outstanding intel?" Six mused aloud. **_

"_**Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Dot." Jorge added himself before removing his helmet and letting it fall to the ground, and then roll away from him. "This is the bad news Six. One of us is going to have to fire it manually." **_

"_**That's a one way trip, and you already know that don't you?" asked the younger Super Soldier. **_

"_**Yeah, I do. We all make it sooner or later. You better get movin' Six, they are going to really need your help on the surface." the Spartan paused for a moment before removing his dog tags. "Listen, Reach has been good to me. Its my time to return the favor today. You won't be denying me that Six, it is my choice to make." **_

_**The older Spartan-II placed Six's hands over his own tags before enveloping them with his own. Jorge then lifted Noble Teams most recent addition off his feet before carrying him closer to the outside of the hangar. Jorge halted just inches separating Six's back from outer space, and then bringing him close. The forty one year old veteran's face was utterly calm and peaceful. More than Six had seen it throughout their battles together. **_

_**Jorge had been made to watch as the Covenant invaders destroyed his home day by day. The veteran Spartan was unable to do much to prevent that, but now. . . Now he was in a position where he could destroy the largest threat to his homeworld. His younger companion nodded his head in acceptance of what was to be Jorge's fate. An end worth of a Spartan.**_

Six closed his fist over the tags, and held them close to his heart for a few moments. In the short month he had known them, he had felt like he truly belonged. That he was not just some Captain's personal assassin, a tool. He was what he was meant to be, a Spartan, and he was damned proud to have finally felt such after everything. Even if it was just for a short time, and even if he had been made to suffer their loss as the battle dragged on. His only regret was not sharing a similar fate to Jorge's own. Dying for something as noble as saving Reach, at least in his own mind.

Placing the dog tags back in their hidden compartment, Six sat down next to Emile and stared into the painted skull which adorned his Spartan brothers' helmet.

"You did good Warrant Officer. You did your duty…. Brother." Six then looked off into the distance once again. He saw storm clouds off in the distance, the flashes of lighting signaling that a Covenant ship had begun to glass. Lifting his hands to his helmet, Six removed it and stared at the piece of armor that had served as a constant reminder of who he was. During the seven years after being reassigned from Beta Company he had eliminated many threats to the UNSC. A fair amount he had done without donning his set of armor.

The visor reflected his image and once again he stared at his own face. Lightly tanned, an emerald green right, and a golden left eye, a surprisingly unscarred face, brown hair that had grown unruly and reached halfway to his shoulders in the time he had spent in the armor, reddish-brown lips, and a regal nose. As some of his missions required him to infiltrate suspected insurrectionist groups he knew he was considered handsome, something he had a type of grip on due to his contact with civilians. Several times he had used his looks to his advantage, but felt almost dirty after. Using people like that, seemed wrong somehow to him.

With a snort he put the helmet over head once again and activated his shields. Looking around his position he saw there were no Covenant with the area, the Phantom and Spirit drop ships far off engaging what few friendly air assets remained. He laid his back on the floor and allowed himself to relax for just a few moments. He could worry about where he would make his last stand later. For now he was going to enjoy the simple pleasure of being alive for a few moments longer.

With a smile, Leo-B312 fell into a light sleep and like the few times he had slept since joining Noble he knew he would not have a nightmare.

**AN: And there you have it. The first chapter of my new revised version is here for your viewing. Please take note of the changes, and what I kept the same. For the most part the chapters will be the same, except for corrections for the grammar and some small additions to the original. Things like this will be the norm for these new chapters. So I'd expect maybe a thousand or so new words every chapter, give or take. **

**Please comment on how this chapter is in comparison to the original intro to Noble Life. Is it better, is it worse? Did I foreshadow at certain points a bit too heavily? Seriously, tell me. I want criticism. **

**Also, it seems rewriting is somewhat easier than actually coming up with new content. So expect a revised chapter every two days. Meaning my next update will be on the 11****th****. Peace guys and gals. **


	2. Chapter 2

_Requiem of a Noble_

_**A226**_

Jun-A266, Warrant Officer and Sniper for Noble Team, sat in the troop compartment of the second Pelican from ONI Sword Base. He was at the moment staring out the front view port of the work horse behind all UNSC air operations. Dr. Halsey, who was flying the bird on a course towards CASTLE Base, was being assisted by yet _another _AI of her own design. Not that he had bothered, or cared to know, to ask the 'name' of the AI Noble Six had taken. The Doctor referred to the assisting AI by the name Kalmiya. Jun had never liked AI's, and being ordered around and reassigned by them was certainly not helping his opinion on them.

If one was to look past the helmet of the Spartan-III it would not be a warm sight to behold. What would be found beneath it would be a face all but made of stone, devoid of any emotion. The sniper's mind however was another matter entirely. His mind was going over twenty different thoughts at the same time, none of them good. Were the Commander, Emile, and Six still alive? Did they accomplish their mission? If they did could they make it to CASTLE Base on their own?

Was he the last Spartan of Noble Team?

The last one gave him a sickening feeling in his gut. First Jorge, the Kat. Noble had already lost two of its members in only a few days. Jun did not want to think of the team going from six just a month ago, to only one man now. So, in order to take his mind off its troubling path Jun began to talk with the doctor.

"So. Could you check if the _Pillar of Autumn _escaped yet?" He directed the question to Dr. Halsey. "Or maybe _it_ can?"

"First off, her name is Kalmiya." The doctor answered coldly, eyes turned half a degree in his direction and giving him a glare. "And the answer is yes. Captain Keyes and his ship successfully left the surface and entered slip-space approximately one hour, and thirty five minutes ago."

"Wonderful. Our last shot at escaping this hell hole is gone, along with an AI that supposedly holds the 'latchkey discovery' that may well turn the course of the war. Excuse me for getting too excited." He said sarcastically. In truth Jun knew all of Reach's defenders had done their duty. They had fought the Covenant as long as they could, had killed at least several hundred million of the bastards, and stalled them from reaching Earth for at least several more weeks.

It may not have been a cause for celebration, and drowning in alcohol but it was better than nothing. It was a small comfort to the knowledge that humanity had failed. Noble Team had failed…. _He _had failed. Jun closed his eyes as memories of Alpha Company passed through his mind. He, Carter, and Emile had all been pulled from the company before Operation: PROMETHEUS. Before his first team and family was slaughtered. He failed them, and although he had not physically witnessed their deaths he saw them. Every moment he fell asleep, every time he allowed his mind to drift off towards the past. Every time Noble had lost a member.

Next to Carter, and Kat, Jun was the oldest Noble Spartan. He had been a part of Noble team for nearly seven years. In that time there had been five other Noble Spartans aside from the team that had fought together just a month ago. Each of those five had died during his seven years. Lost in his private thoughts, Jun barely noticed that the doctor had said something to him again.

"It's not just her you know. She has been partn-"

"She? No disrespect Ma'am but I refuse to call them anything other than 'it'. They're not alive doc." Jun interrupted her. He had lost count of the number of missions he had been sent on to ensure the Cole Protocol had been enacted and AI he was ordered to wipe. To him the talking computers were just as much trouble as help. He only worked with them as needed, he trusted his fellow Spartans above all else. _Especially _AI.

"You're free to your opinions Warrant Officer, but I would appreciate it if you did not interrupt me." The doctor said as she sent him another glare. Noble Three raised both his hands in mock submission, earning a pair of narrowed eyes from Dr. Halsey.

"Sorry doc. Got my word I won't be interrupting you anytime soon. Would you kindly continue?" After shaking her head slightly the doctor began to speak once again.

"_She_, Cortana, has chosen Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 as her partner. I assume you know about him?" The way she asked him almost offended him. _Everyone_ in Special Warfare Command had heard of the commander of the Spartan-IIs and his track record.

"Quite possibly the most highly decorated soldier in the UNSC, also the one with the highest groundside body count, holder of all Military awards aside from one, and let me guess. In your mind at least, he is the man whom carries humanity's last best hope?"

"That's the one Noble Three," She said turning her gaze back towards the front. In the distance the silhouettes of several Covenant warships could be seen. Being that the aliens were too busy glassing Reach, a single lone Pelican would not be paid much attention. _After all,_ he thought darkly, _what threat do a couple of humans pose, when their strongest fortress has already fallen? _

"They better be worth it doc." He said quietly, almost to himself.

"You say something Spartan?" She asked picking up on his sour mood.

"I said they better be worth all of this," He said gesturing to the view screen with a single hand before he turned to look at her, "We lost so much, just to give Sierra 117 and your AI this chance. This all meant nothing, if the same happens to Earth." The doctor nodded her head, a serious look on her face replacing her annoyance at him.

"Do you want to know why I choose him to be a Spartan? Why Cortana choose him to be her partner?" Jun shrugged his shoulders in confusion, confusion which doubled as a smile crossed her aged face. "We each made to the decision to choose him for the same reason. John has luck in spades, I believe the saying goes."

_**B312**_

Leo snapped open his eyes with inhuman speed as a strange sound slowly found its way to his ears. On pure reflex he rolled over and shifted his weight to his torso area. The Spartan-III then kicked his legs outward and allowed his body to be lifted off the ground and then twisted himself in midair and swung his weight forward. This movement brought into a coiled and defensive crouch. He then swiftly drew out his M6G in a single fluid motion which only a Spartan could pull off.

Reacting to his body's natural pull he instinctively, and quite quickly, ran to the nearest available cover which was the side of the MAC launcher he had used to destroy the Covenant Assault cruiser. Looking at his motion tracker he saw there was a small flicker of movement. Far to small to possibly be anything human and as far as he could tell, given that he doubted humanity had seen every species in the Covenant, was not an alien. His mind raced with thoughts as that one flicker had yet to fade away.

Which obviously meant that whatever it was, he could not be imagining it. That in turn meant he had to determine whether or not it was a true threat.

He stared at it for an additional half-second, it was strange. Instead of the large red dots for hostiles, or the yellow for friendly. Instead it was the white for neutral contacts, which considering the course of the battle was surprising. What could still be alive on Reach that wasn't likely Covenant, or the occasional human? After he had re-holstered his M6 sidearm, Leo reached for his knife and quietly slid it out.

Despite knowing he would die soon Leo wanted it to be on _his_ terms, not those of his killers. They had surprised this world's defenders; they had ambushed many convoys of survivors trying to make their way to the _Pillar of Autumn. _The Covenant had killed too many humans by using the element of surprise and their superior numbers to overwhelm them time and time again. When he died, he would turn the tables on the alien bastards. He would ambush _them_, he would be the hunter and they his prey.

And just like the Guta he and Jun had seen just days before Jorge had died, he would be overwhelmed. The indigenous monster had been a freak of nature, fully a full three quarters over the average size of an adult male. Standing at about 500 centimeters the towering giant had dwarfed him and Jun in size. The two Spartans had witnessed the creature lay an ambush for a Covenant patrol. It had waited until a pair of hunters had passed before launching its attack.

It had used its two nearly seven foot long tusks to swipe aside one hunter before it had pulled the other into two separate halves. The rest of the patrol opened fire but plasma bolts could not penetrate its thick skin far enough to strike vital organs, needler rifles failed to cause large enough explosions, and the few plasma grenades thrown failed to do much damage at all. In fact it was only when the first hunter had fired its Fuel Rod cannon that the Guta was injured. The instant after the beast had nearly toppled over a Zealot had jumped on its back and plunged its energy sword into its neck, only to be crushed when the creature rolled onto its back.

The beast had survived but ran from the patrol. In its wake were dozens of dead Covenant Grunts, Jackals, Skirmishers, and Elites. Leo doubted that the Guta had survived its injuries, or if it had that it was still alive. The forest it had retreated into was likely glass by now. Still, it would do him no good to remember things such as that from the past. Slowly walking out from his cover Leo held the knife in front of him, thumb pressed on the bottom of the hilt, blade pointing outwards.

He expected something small, but not what was seemingly staring at him. Standing on the railing before him was another indigenous resident of Reach. A Greater Archaeopteryx, a birdlike reptilian, the creature was a rare species native to nearly every continent on Reach. The fact that this creature had managed to stay alive for so long was impressive to say the least.

This particular specimen had red and white scales that covered its two set of wings. The rest of its body was a mix red, white, black scale all in strange patterns. One pair long curved talons were scratching its eagle-like head. Fiery orange eyes locked with his visor and it stilled. The talons previously near its head returned to their perch on the railing.

Lowering its head closer to its chest, the reptile spread its wings outward revealing a set of specially evolved claws. Claws sharp enough to cut through steel at the right angles. Despite this Leo was still surprised. The creature was roughly forty-seven centimeters tall, and nearly fifteen centimeters longer than that. Leo slid his knife back into place before taking several short steps towards the Archaeopteryx.

His entire life, at least as far back as he could remember that is, he had always had some sort of connection with wild life. Even on Onyx, the few living creatures the world possessed had easily warmed up to him. Leo had no idea why he had this effect on animals, but it always brought him a sense of peace that had always been rare in his life.

"Hey little guy. How did you get here? How are you still flying the skies anyway?" He asked as his left arm came up slowly, elbow bent at a ninety degree angle. Hesitantly the flying reptile quickly leapt of and then landed on his outstretched arm. Slowly Leo lifted his opposite hand and moved it closer to the Archaeopteryx's head; the creature chirped its high-pitched whistle as his gloved fingers touched its beak lightly. "You're a lucky little thing aren't you huh?"

Beneath his helmet, hidden by its visor, a smile came to his face. This was what he needed to truly relax, to enjoy his last hours. The effect of other life that was not trying to kill them could have on human; it was a truly amazing thing. _Still_, he thought, _you have a chance at living for a few more days away from me little one. _With a lightning fast twitch of the arm, the Greater Archaeopteryx was shaken off his armored forearm. Noble Six watched as the reptile flew away in the opposite direction he intended to go.

Leo continued to follow its flight until it had passed out of sight. He briefly wondered what was the most the creature could survive. He knew the Covenant would send some ships to chase after the _Autumn, _they rarely let survivors escape without giving chase. The Spartan estimated that there were at least a hundred warships of varying size, and calculated the amount of ground a single ship could glass in an hour. Adding in the size of Reach to the lone soldier came up with a reasonable estimate.

At best it would take the Covenant two to three days in order to completely turn Reach into a dead world. At worst, only a single day would be the length of time Reach would still hold traces of life. The moment he came to that realization he felt something he had not felt for many years, he felt complete and utterly useless.

At that exact moment there was nothing he could do to even give Reach a few extra minutes of life. He could not destroy a Covenant warship, protect what few civilians were left, nor even avenge his dead team in a truly fitting way. Useless. Now he could truly sympathize with those who were left behind on worlds to be glassed. Death assured, life in minutes, the will to live drained.

He felt his hands curl into fists and tighten with enough force to dent the Titanium Armor plating used on the most heavily armored human warships. There had always been something he could do, some way to bring a glimmer of hope, to remind everyone that the Covenant was not invincible. Now, there was _nothing_. Some small part of him wanted to deny the aliens the right to one more additional cold and dead Super-Soldier. To end his life in a way that would certainly be less painful that what the Covenant would guarantee.

_No_. Using all his will power Leo pushed that thought away. So what if he could do nothing to defend humanity any longer? What did it matter that he was going to die. It was not like he or any of the other Spartans had any reason to live aside from defeating the alien empire. Why should he even _care_ that his body and armor would soon be glassed like the world he had fought so hard to save?

The answer was he did not care one way or the other. A Spartan was first and foremost a soldier for humanity, just like all the men and women who had died in this war. They had fought the Covenant tooth and nail for over twenty seven years, how many other races had lasted so long against the so called "chosen of the Gods"? At that moment he felt all the fear, the slight nervousness, the controlled rage, the animal instincts that illogically told him to run and live, all disappear.

His mind was clear of all such distractions, and he was truly a Spartan once more. Leo felt his lips grow into a slight smirk. Fear held no place for him, which should be reserved for the entire Covenant. He would fight until he was overwhelmed, would force the aliens to pay dearly to end a single life.

As a Spartan-III super-soldier, as a member of Noble Team, and as a human, he would make them _fear_ attacking Earth. Leo would become their nightmare, the demon that kept them from feeling a moments rest. When their leaders would question them about their victory at Reach the Elites would hesitate for a moment, memories of the death and suffering him and the other Spartans had brought upon them rising to the surface. They would _never _forget him. Whatever word they had in their strange tongue for the Spartans would forever become tied to death, destruction, pain, and demon.

After they had killed him, and he was truly beginning to welcome that idea, without a doubt in his mind they would regret ever finding Reach.

He turned towards the ladder he had used to climb back to the MAC launcher, and slid to the bottom. The moment his feet touched the ground he was already searching for his weapons. There were plenty to choose from, the Brutes had brutally killed most of the remaining humans who had chosen to stay and guard the _Autumn_. The damned bastard apes had become his most hated member of the alien army. Barbaric, sadistic, primitive, and just as insane as any of the suicide Grunt units. He sincerely wished that whatever force the Covenant sent for him would have a good deal of the devils. He'd enjoy ending their lives.

Coming to a Trooper he bent down and began inspecting her kit. The lieutenant soon found a bandolier of grenades after he set the body straight. In addition he took her M6G and all her spare clips. Pocketing the ammunition in the set of pouches that rest on his chest place, Leo moved on to the next pile of bodies. He found a replacement M392 Rifle for the one a Brute Chieftain had smashed with its hammer.

By the time he was ready he had enough fire power to take on an entire hostile company. Hefting a DMR in his right hand, and a MA37 in his left, Noble Six looked around his position one last time.

So much had been sacrificed to defend this one facility. To give humanity one final chance for survival. Despite the death of his team, and his own imminent end, the lone Spartan felt some slight pride in that. Outnumbered, outgunned, outmatched, and the Covenant still weren't fast enough to stop them. _Just goes to prove_, he thought wryly, _humans are too stubborn to go down with out giving as much as we got._

With a swift nod Leo turned and faced north east. The graves of his fellow Spartans were all behind him. For a moment he could almost feel their presence one last time. Could almost hear them calling out their encouragement. Then he broke into a fast jog in the direction he had been facing, the light reflecting off his armored body.

He knew exactly where he would make his final stand. The last defensible place near Aszod, which would be where he made his final show of unwavering defiance. It had already been made the sight of another team of Spartans own last stand. He and Emile had spotted it moments before entering the ship breaking yards. _Spartans never die, _he thought solemnly, _a lie I desperately wish really was true_.

The young twenty-two year old man began to think of the regulations for any _missing_ Spartan. As per ONI Section Three's orders it was deemed necessary to ensure that no piece of Spartan intelligence was ever leaked out. This was decided upon after one of the early battles on the colony world of Harvest, where a Spartan-II was killed by an Elite. While nothing resulted from the soldiers' death it did show a need for effective contingency plans.

This decision resulted in the introduction of a small but powerful self-destructive device within a Spartan's armor. If the body of one of his brothers or sisters was not able to be recovered then protocol dictated that the commanding Spartan at the time was to activate the protective measure. While he doubted that would be necessary due to the large number of Spartan casualties, it did. . . Bring up a rather unappealing, but no less realistic, additional option.

As he spared a glance back to Emile he knew what had to be done. The Spartan breed of soldiers was created to obey any order given, no matter how dark it may be. Despite being a lone wolf, and occasionally acting of his own initiative out side of his own orders, Leo had never once disobeyed a direct order. That small comfort made what he knew needed to be done just the slightest bit simpler to follow through with?

With a slow and deliberate, albeit extremely reluctant, pace the Spartan Officer approached his dead teammate. Perhaps his emotions were beginning to bubble up to the surface of his thoughts once more, or perhaps it was the skull on the helmet, Leo could not help but feel as thought Emile was giving him permission. Shaking his head at his own foolishness the Spartan came to a halt and kneeled before the body.

His gloved right hand reached out to grip his fellow Spartan's shoulder. Slowly he pulled the body several inches closer to him to find the straps for Emile's grenade bandoliers. With a steady hand the straps came off and then the body was placed back against its resting place once more. Still crouched in that position Leo quickly brought a fist against his chest with a loud resounding clap.

The lieutenant turned to face the heavy MAC launcher once more. His detached mind began to make several simple calculations before his feet started moving forward. He held the bandolier gripped in his left hand as he soon came to a halt. Leo then slowly pulled back his right fist up to face level height. The fist then swiftly fell upon the protective steel that coated the massive weapon. A hole as large as his fist was formed as the blow continued to travel until his elbow was pinned by the outer edge.

Without a single care for any small damage to his own armor the lieutenant wrenched his arm free from its trap viciously. The hand then lowered itself until his finger tips were touching a single grenade. In a blinding flash a speed he had pulled the pin off the destructive hand thrown weapon and shoved the bandolier into the hole of the MAC launcher.

The Spartan Officer instantly twisted around and leapt off from the weapons platform. As his body connected with the ground he made sure to turn into a roll and ensuring none of his weapons were damaged. Leo then began to sprint at his top speed away from the fast approaching explosion. Seconds ticked by as a safe distance was rapidly being built between him and the MAC launcher.

He felt the first small explosions a full three seconds before the entire weapon began to be destroyed. His head never turned back and he did not change his direction. The final member of Noble Team knew exactly where he was destined to meet his end.

The massive funeral pyre he had given Emile seemed to give him one final request however. In his own mind he took it to have one singular meaning. . . honor the sacrifice of his own teams in his own way.

By drenching the soil in Covenant blood.

_**A226**_

Jun place his helmet on one of the many consoles in Command Room of CASTLE Base. The Doctor and her AI assistant had left to begin setting up the entire facility for

OPERATION: WHITE GLOVE. The destruction of perhaps the final operational UNSC facility left on Reach. With its destruction Reach would truly be the Covenants own rock.

He took in a deep breath, inhaling the cool air that filled the installation. Jun had always wondered where he would die. Inside an ONI base with only an old lady, and her AI, as company had been one of the few possibilities he had never thought up. Still, he mused, he had hoped to add a few hundred more aliens to his body count before the end.

Pulling up a large container, the Spartan sat down and took up his new found mission. Staring at hundreds of cameras just waiting for the first of the Covenant to show up. Then he was to contact Dr. Halsey who would in turn activate the facility's destruction. The final part of the plan was to ensure the Covenant did not obtain any top level intelligence.

Despite her attitude towards him and the rest of Noble, he was not looking forward to that last bit. He had killed other humans before, Insurrectionist cells on several worlds, but killing a civilian , and one who had the total respect of Jorge at that, was not something he would ever feel anything other revulsion. Orders were orders however, and killing the one to ensure that the millions would have a bit more time was certainly an unspoken order.

With all the focus, dedication, and patience he displayed when searching for targets, Jun began to observe every little detail he could see from the dozen or so screens with him. Flipping throw the five dozen individual cameras he saw nothing aside from some of the last vestiges of normal Reach. Plants, trees, the occasional animal, the darkening sky.

What would soon become the last live part of Reach, gave him nothing but the familiar feeling of defeat. Reach would fall, the Doctor was proven correct. Suddenly he picked up something on Camera A-5/64. Bringing the image up to the main view screen he focused the view to the small movement his Spartan eyes had spotted.

A single eyebrow rose in surprise before lowering as he better focused the image. Swift, all but no movement of foliage, shapes that even his enhanced vision and mind found moving with lighting speed. He knew of only one group of life forms in the galaxy that moved like that.

A slight smile found its way to his lips. He stood up and reached for his helmet. Placing it securely over his head, Jun turned and picked up his rifle before activating a communications link.

"Doctor Halsey, I think I found something you will find most interesting."

**AN: Here it is, the second chapter of the revised story. In my mind, I think the title of the chapter now has a much greater meaning to the events that happened. Hope you enjoyed it. Next update: 3/13/11. **


	3. Chapter 3

_The Last Ghost_

_**B312 **_

Broken. Separated. Divided. Murdered. These were the words that came to mind the moment Leo had finally reached his destination. The lone Spartan felt one of his fists tighten with titanium crushing force. He felt the, rapidly becoming familiar, powerful anger build up in his chest once again.

The damned aliens had not won a battle here. Covenant forces had not faced a united force of Spartans. They had sent hundreds after each individual member of the team. Once separated the team had fallen one by one, unable to help their nearby teammates. The bonds of brotherhood and loyalty broken as each Spartan saw another friend die, another member of their family fall and being unable to help.

This was not a battle. It was simple murder, denying this team the right to an even fight. Eyes hidden by his visor Noble Six continued to find one dead Spartan after another. He did not know most of them, but at the same knew them all. Leo knew what each of them were, he just did not know their names. But what would it matter if he did? It would not change what they were, what kind of person they were.

Each of the fallen had been one of his fellow Spartans. Each of them had been a Spartan-III. All of them soldiers to the bone, who knew their duty. And with a grim satisfaction, he saw they did it well if the blood was any kind of sign.

Leo closed his eyes as he thought of the one Spartan he _did _know. Rosenda-314 was the Spartan whom he was standing over at the moment. The two of them had been part of the same Trainee team during their training to become Spartans. She had been his only friend at the time, which was likely because they were both from the same colony and knew each other.

Now…. Now she was dead, and he was alive. Tilting his head lower he caught site of the gleaming metal in his left hand. Six additional dog tags, one for each of the bodies he had discovered save for hers. Leo did not want to do that, he did not want to see the face of a young woman he had known since childhood. It would distract him far too much from what was about to happen.

This place, this barren place, this graveyard for Spartans, would soon have a new addition to its total. Leo had made his decision the moment the _Pillar of Autumn_ had left the world. This was where he would fight the Covenant one last time. It would soon be the piece of Reach where the ground would be colored in the blood of the many different species that would die here soon.

With luck, it would be where he joined his fellow Spartans at last.

Lifting the hand carrying the tags up towards the sky, he took careful note of them all. The way the light reflected off of them, the way they sounded grazing each other because of the slight pick up in wind. He rubbed his thumb over them in deep thought.

He felt nothing. He was nothing. He was already dead; his body just had not caught up with the rest of him. Once again he slipped more tags into the hidden compartment on his chest. They joined the tags from Noble Team, and his own. Briefly he wondered if he should have done something other than carry the tags with him.

Shaking the train of thought away he turned his attention towards his position. Several small and damaged buildings filled the otherwise empty terrain, along with a single damaged tower. It was small, but not enough to restrict his movements. It was open, but not enough he could not find a place to take cover.

It was as good a place as any to fight his final battle he supposed. Looking at the weapon in his hand Leo shifted his feet. In the previous half hour he had placed most of his weapons in hidden locations. All he carried at the moment was his Designated Marksman Rifle, his M6G, and a pair of fragmentation grenades. The other Spartans had left him some additional supplies.

Among them was a fully loaded rocket launcher with a further two additional rockets for use. Found near the launcher had been one of the highly powerful nonlinear rifles with a full charge. Two mounted machine gun turrets which he had already repositioned. Finishing up the list of weaponry were a single sniper rifle and several MA37 assault rifles. All in all, it was enough help that he knew he could do some serious damage to the bastard aliens when they found him.

Walking up to the tower Leo felt everything change about him. He was no longer afraid, nor ashamed. He walked with a total certainty in the eventuality of the coming battle. He almost felt happy. No, it wasn't happiness he felt at the present moment. It was a feeling of pride, and relief. He had done his duty to humanity to the best of his abilities. He had fought beside the bravest and most courageous individuals in the entire UNSC.

This battle was for them. Not for humanity, not for the fallen Reach, not for some oath. It was to honor his fallen team, his new family that had been taken from him one by one. The Covenant was going to pay with blood. That was the obvious point. Just as he knew Earth's best chance for survival rested with the _Autumn_, he knew he had helped that along. The moment the lieutenant fell to the masses of alien soldiers, the role Noble Team played in the Battle of Reach would finally be over. And however the war ended, if the _Autumns _mission was a success, the actions of the other Noble Spartans and himself would be responsible for it.

It was just a damned shame that no one would remember them. Not even the public was aware of their existence; it was the fate of the Spartan-II class to be forever recognized publicly as the sword and shield of humanity. Yet even those soldiers were unaware that they were not alone in their struggle against the genocidal alien empire that called itself the Covenant. The UNSC troopers and marines who had seen and worked with Noble were more than likely dead and the civilians he had helped flee from New Alexandria, those that were lucky enough not to have their shuttles shot down anyway, had no way at all of distinguishing one type of Spartan from another.

The only people in the galaxy that knew about them did not care what would be their eventual fate. It was their belief that as long as Earth was safe nothing else mattered. Except for two very important individuals who actually _did_ care, that is. The two men, who had trained and watched over the Spartan-III companies for years, Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose and Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez. The two men who together had made each of them Spartans. It had been those two who had given every last Spartan-III a purpose to live for; the continued protection of humanity, until their very last breath.

He closed his eyes as he thought of them for a moment. The two men took each Spartan death personally, and there had been many, many dead Spartans. Leo mentally apologized to the Lieutenant Commander for causing him just a little bit more pain. The man deserved to know his trainees had done well, had fought like Spartans. He would know that they had done the impossible time and time again.

_"The short definition of a Spartan," _as Chief Mendez had once said.

Leo rather liked living up that definition. But he knew there would be no way to do so now. The impossible was to survive this glassing. That was impossible, not just because he could not escape but also something more. Spartan-B312 did not want to escape. He wanted to die.

The deaths of Noble had hit him harder and harder. For nearly all of his time as a Spartan, Leo had worked alone. The moment they had started to put their trust in him had inadvertently changed him. For the better of course, but also opened him up to unbelievable pain. He knew that this was why he did not work with other teams before.

But he was in no way disappointed. If fate had given him the opinion to go back, and never come to Reach Leo knew exactly what he would have done. He would have gone to Reach in a heartbeat, would have chosen to be a Noble without a second thought. This world, this team, they had been good to him. They had given him the chance to become a real Spartan, and he would willingly accept any punishment just to go through it all again.

He took pride in that knowledge. So lost in his thought he failed to notice the first Spirit and Phantom class drop ships arrive until one had flown directly over him. Holding his rifle by center, Spartan-B312, Noble Six, _Leo_, prepared to give the aliens a living hell and to die.

_**A226 **_

Jun walked with the doctor, surprised with the sudden change in the older woman's demeanor. She had changed from a woman feeling her years begin to catch up with her, to someone half her age. She was all but jogging, moving fast enough that Jun had to walk just a little bit faster than normal. She even seemed almost bearable to him.

And she wasn't bringing the AI with them. That was the best damned bit of news he'd heard all day. Noble Three felt incredibly thankful for the surprise visit. And from the way she was speaking, Doctor Halsey was pleasantly surprised as well. As they neared the hidden entrance to CASTLE Base, Jun picked up a strange sound over the facility's secure radio frequency.

It was a short six note whistle that sounded a bit feminine. The doctor then whistled a similar tone, only slightly longer than the first. Tilting his head to her in curiosity he watched as she allowed the new arrivals in. Jun stayed to the side of the entrance, not wanting to surprise the team of Spartan-II's at the moment. Their armor was different from the privatized MJOLNIR variants used by Noble Team. It was more uniformed with no distinguishing features, and all possessed a dull green color.

The five walked differently from the Spartans he had seen on previous occasions. They almost seemed broken, their decades of discipline the only thing that appeared to be holding them together. It occurred to Jun that the famed Spartan-II's must have also been on Reach. This meant that a majority of their teammates must have fallen to a similar fate as the rest of Noble Team.

Noble Three decided to wait for the doctor to decide to introduce him. These were not the same Spartans as Noble Team. The Doctor herself had not even known of Noble Team until their appearance at ONI Sword Base, thus it stood to reason that the entire Spartan-II class did not as well. Hidden behind his helmet, Jun let out an almost inaudible snort. The next few days would certainly become very interesting now.

"Fred, Kelly, Will, Vinh, Isaac. It's good to see you are each still alive." The doctor said to the Super-Soldiers. _So, _thought Jun, _I did hear a woman. Wonder if she'll be like Kat. Doubt it though._

"Good to see you as well Doctor Halsey. Have you heard from any other survivors?" One asked the moment the Doctor had finished. It was this Spartan whom Jun logically assumed was Fred as he was the first whose name Halsey had called, and the first to speak. The Doctor shook her head sadly.

"I haven't heard from any of the other Spartan-II's. I am so sorry." Clearly this woman had the same type of relationship with these Spartans as she did with Jorge. Her tone was almost motherly.

"Understood Ma'am. What about John, Linda, and James? Did the _Autumn _manage to get them out of system?" Fred asked.

"I do no know about Linda and James, but I do know for a fact that Captain Keyes and his ship did manage to escape with John." Before Fred or Kelly could say another word, Doctor Halsey raised her hand in his direction. "However, we are not alone in this facility. Noble Three, please come join us."

With a quiet sigh Jun complied. As he came into view of the other Spartans, the sniper could see the almost invisible fraction of movement that showed them tense up. With a small wave of the hand he stopped standing directly to the right of the Doctor.

"Warrant Officer Jun A226, call sign Noble Three. Glad to see I am not the only Spartan left on Reach for sure." Briefly he wondered about the other three members of Noble. Regardless of their status he needed to be focused on the here and now. This unfortunately meant dealing with five Spartans with years more experience than him, each of whom he outranked, five men and women at least a decade older, and who knew nothing about him.

Nothing easy ever happened to a member of Noble Team.

Not to his great surprise, the Spartans each snapped to attention at the mention of his rank. Another difference he found between them and Noble, they were more formal than Noble had ever been. Carter's command of the team was strict, and they did follow the chain of command, but outside of a battlefield the team had always acted more relaxed and informal. He missed that greatly. After a few seconds he reached up and removed his helmet, the cold air tickling his bald head.

"Warrant Officer, meet my Spartan-II's. Fred-104, Kelly-087, William-043, Vinh-030, and Isaac-039." The doctor said, gesturing to each individual when she announced their name. _How the hell could she tell with their armor on, no distinguishing features at all and no IFF tags, _Jun asked himself before quickly letting the thought die down. These were in no way his own Spartan brothers and sisters after all. No matter how much he wished they were with him.

_**B312**_

Leo swung the detached heavy machine gun around him, landing a powerful blow to an Elite Ultra. The moment the Elite fell to the ground he had his armored foot on its back holding it down, then he let loose with the machineguns firepower. The rounds tore through the warrior's armor killing it instantly.

Stepping away from his most recent kill the Spartan continued to empty the weapon on even more of the aliens. Rounds severed arms, and heads from their inhuman owners, dozens of pained screams reached his ears. The lieutenant had no idea how long he had been fighting. Was it minutes, or hours? He could not tell, and it didn't matter at all to him.

The only thing that mattered was the sheer number of hostiles that continued to come at him. He had lost count as to how many of the Covenant's troops he had killed. He knew it was in the dozens for certain, the fact that whole piles of their troops lay slumped together proved that.

As his current weapon was finally emptied, Leo dodged an energy sword strike from another member of the warrior aliens. Bringing the empty weapons barrel to strike his latest attacker in the head, he pulled out his M6G. The moment Leo made contact with alien's face he dropped the machine gun and fired a round into its open maw.

Turning to face a small group of Grunts he saw they were near one of the fuel tanks. He fired at the nearest of the little aliens to slow them down. As they were distracted by their falling comrade he then aimed at the fuel tank. After maneuvering the heavy weapon to face the new target he unleashed a further two additional rounds into it, causing an explosion which spread over the half dozen remaining aliens.

Barely avoiding a salvo of plasma bolts Leo broke into a dead sprint towards the nearest cover. Rolling behind the crumbling wall he waited for his shields to recharge. Releasing the empty magazine of his sidearm Leo swapped it with his last full one. Resting his head on the wall the Spartan took several deep breaths. He felt the burning in his right shoulder, thanks to a plasma bolt that had melted through his armor. Luckily it was not overly charged, and as such did little permanent damage to the Spartan.

If he waited four or five days, the signs of the injury would have disappeared. He just did not have anything more than hours at most.

Shaking off the pain Leo re-holstered the M6G, and picked up an MA37 and a nearly empty rocket launcher. He saw a phantom drop-ship nearing his position, and broke from his cover. As its cannon locked on, the Spartan was already aiming his own weapon. Jumping over a pile of dead Skirmisher, the plasma cannon missing by inches, he fired his last rocket at the Phantom's only vulnerable spot.

The open gravity lift, which was currently off loading troops, soon came into contact with the powerful human device. The explosion killed the troops half way off the Phantom, and set off secondary explosions which crippled it. Leo did not watch as it crashed into a squad of Spec-Ops Elites and their Grunts, instead running to his left the assault rifle already in his hands.

He fired short bursts from the weapon mowing down Grunts and Jackals. Reaching for one of his last grenades Leo tossed it at the feet of a Zealot charging him. Unloading the rest of the clip at the Covenant leader the moment the grenade detonated, he saw it fall to the ground dead. Leo jumped into the burning remains of a destroyed Spirit needles, and plasma impacting the hull. Taking a position at an exposed opening the lone Spartan fired at the hostiles in between their weapon discharges.

As he ducked his head out of cover to return fire, a stray plasma shot struck his visor forcing his head back. Temporarily dazed he stayed on the floor, shaking his head to clear his vision. Once it had returned he noticed two separate cracks had formed. Deciding it was time to move, Leo jumped out of his temporary cover once again. Spraying rounds at a trio of Elites, he pulled his combat knife the moment one's shield had disappeared.

Lowering his head down the Spartan-III tackled it, with the brunt of the impact force being taken by his shoulder pauldron upon contact with the large alien. Just as he planned the alien fought for balance as its feet dug into the ground, preventing it from falling over. Backing off a second later Leo slammed the butt of his rifle into its face, stunning it and forcing it leave itself defenseless. His free arm pulled the dazed warrior towards him and then twisted it to face the remaining two Elites. As the duo began searching for an opening to attack the Spartan without killing their brother, Leo picked off a single plasma grenade. The Spartan quickly kicked his captive forward, the blow snapping the spine, towards its fellow Elites who finally found an opening to strike. Reacting in turn Noble Six pulled back his left arm as he activated and then threw the plasma grenade towards the falling Elite.

The single grenade stuck to a section of the warrior's armor inches from the other hand thrown weapons. As it detonated a chain reaction began as the other grenades were destroyed. The reaction was a bright blue flash of light followed by the force of a large explosion that covered all three alien invaders.

Without sparing a moment of time he dropped his then empty MA37. As the lieutenant began to turn backwards he caught sight of a flash of silver, just as an Ultra's leg connected with his torso denting the armor, before finding himself pinned to the ground. As the heavy weigh fell upon him, the Spartan raised his left forearm which halted an energy sword before it could decapitate his head in a downwards swing. Weakened as he was the weapon inevitably had begun to come closer and closer to his head.

Seeing the amount of weight his opponent was forcing on him, Leo relaxed the arm holding back the weapon and allowed the blade to come to within an inch of him. The Ultra's surprise gave him several precious moments that allowed him to draw his combat knife with his right hand. With a new reserve of strength he pushed back with his left arm and imbed the knife in the silver armored warrior's eye before it could avoid the stab. Pulling back from him in pain, the Ultra dropped its sword. Seizing it in mid-air Noble Six backhanded its former wielder off of him before plunging the blade into the Ultra's hip. As the alien roared in pain he found a firmer grip on the handle and removed the sword before opening up its rib cage with an upwards slash.

Leo quickly kicked the dying Elite away from him and rolled to the right as a burst of plasma fire cut across his former position. Pushing himself up on an armored elbow he threw the sword with precision aim towards the cockpit of a banshee. In his weakened aim the blade severed one of the aircrafts wings and forcing it to slam into its wing man. The impact caused both Covenant vehicles to fall dangerously close to the ground and forcing the pilots to fight in order to avoid an impact. As they regained control the pair of banshees flew off to prepare for another assault.

Pushing himself off the ground he removed his damaged helmet and threw it with bone breaking force towards a suicidal Grunt, snapping its neck. The two grenades the diminutive creature had been holding flew back and detonated at the feet of a pair of Minor Elites who howled in defiance before they were the grenades detonated. The explosion resulted in one Elite being killed out right, its front being melted away entirely by the intense heat of the grenades. The other found that both of its legs had been taken away, along with half its extended right arm, though still roaring in pain as it somehow survived.

Looking around quickly he saw that the Covenant aircraft had flown over his position, and would not be coming around for another run until several minutes. Turning his head forward he caught sight of another sword wielding Ultra, and a final MA37. Preparing to make his last seconds count, Noble Six jumped for the rifle rolling forward so it was pointed at the Elite.

He fired several rounds into it, destroying its shields and punctured its throat. Its life blood pumping out, the warrior fell to the ground. His instincts kicked in and he found himself ducking under yet another sword, this time so close he felt the back of his skull begin to burn slightly. Bringing his elbow into its chest he forced it back a step then turned and rammed his shoulder into its face. Pulling out his M6G Leo fired a round into the gold armored General's head.

Suddenly he was struck by several plasma bolts which only grazed his armor, and two that made contact with his forearm and the opposite shoulder. Through gritted teeth he let out a roar of pain as he brought his rifle and sidearm to face his would-be killers. He saw several more Elites surround him, and he began to fire. His mind began to show him older memories from his past, as he was overwhelmed and knocked to the ground.

_My home planet being glassed in front of me. _Leo kicked off an Ultra, and watched as it dropped its sword.

_The Commander inducting me and the rest of Beta Company into the Spartans. _A Zealot tried to take his head off, but he backhanded it and watched it land on the ground.

_Jorge pushing me off the Corvette, Noble Team firing at the Elite sniper that shot Kat. _The Spartan pulled out a smaller knife and forced it into another Ultra's neck before punching it away.

_Carter signing out before he crashed the pelican into the scarab. Emile taking the Zealot with him after being stabbed in the back. _Leo watched as the first Ultra he knocked away leapt at him. This time he was not fast enough and it held onto him. In his weakened, and pained state the lieutenant was barely able to put up a fight. The second Ultra, his knife still in its neck, joined the first in holding him down.

The Zealot had pushed itself back up, and then activated a smaller dagger like weapon in its gauntlet. Leo struggled as much as he could as his death approached him. He stared into the Zealot's eyes and found what looked to be a trace of respect surrounded by an ocean of hatred. Leo felt one last rush of energy enter his tired body as he bared his teeth in a defiant snarl, refusing to submit to the comfort of a quiet death.

Suddenly he heard the crackle of a sniper rifle, and the Zealot fell to the ground with a large hole through one eye. The pair of Elite Ultras looked up as two more cracks were heard, and they fell towards the ground after their leader, dead as well. Leo stared in unbelieving shock at the bodies, before looking around for the familiar shape of Jun.

What he did find instead shocked into utter stillness for several heartbeats. The rifle now being used to hold the figure's weight, helmet on the ground, blood dripping from pale lips, breathing heavily, arm clutching the large opening in her armor now bleeding freely once again. Her head lifted up slightly and Rosenda offered him the smallest ghost of a smile, before she lost her grip on the rifle and began to fall forward.

In an instant Leo had pushed his weary body to its feet as he quickly managed to cover the short distance and caught her in his arms before she struck the ground. Laying his injured friend down gently the Spartan-III took in her appearance. Her skin was a frighteningly ghostly pale color, even for a Spartan, sweat keeping her short bangs matted to her forehead, and a large opening in her side pouring out blood. His green and gold eyes met her near lifeless blue.

"Rose, how-" She began to speak quietly, and he quickly silenced himself. Every word seemed to be a battle unto itself, each breath coming in far and between. Her voice was so a faintly audible voice, he only managed to hear it due to his augmented ears.

"Shock. Some. 'Foam, stopped. Blacked. Woke up." She tried to take in another breath. Leo could not believe what was happening to the young woman under him. The injured Spartan smiled again as her eyes slowly as they looked up at him. "Hello, brother." The moment his mind registered those words, they brought back memories of the time they had worked as partners, and as members of the Ghost Recon team. The lieutenant struggled for several heartbeats to push back the rising thoughts as he returned his attention back towards Rosenda.

As he took in her appearance for a second time, the Spartan knew that he could do nothing to help her. His friend was dying right in front of him, her blood covering his armored knees. Regaining some control she began to speak again, slightly louder. "I saw you. Fighting, then you got surrounded. I found the sniper rifle next to me, one clip. Got up, and saved your life. A chance to return the favor, you know." She finished with a smile before she coughed even more, blood flying onto his chest.

"I still have some pain killers, let me-"

"No." She said simply, her lips curled into a frown. Rosenda lifted her right arm up slightly to make him look. He saw her TACPAD, just like Carter's, with a timer ticking down. "I hacked into the last Defense Platform in space. It's damaged, but its right above us. I set it up to fire on my position when I activated the timer, but I got hit before I could. I had to use your code Lieutenant. Only you officers are lucky to get one, but I found it anyway." Gripping his hand as tightly as she could, which was far too weak to him, Rosenda looked him in the eye as she winced in pain. He couldn't keep the connection and looked away. He put an arm around her legs, and then began to do the same with her shoulders. "Stop."

"No, we can make it. I can get you out of the blast radius." He argued with her. The Spartan-III officer was beginning block out everything except for the woman before him. Despite knowing he could do nothing, Leo still clung to some faint hope that he had overlooked something. Then he felt a gloved hand on his cheek. He looked at her eyes once again.

"No, you can't and we both know it." Suddenly with a burst of strength that surprised him, she pulled him down and embraced him for several seconds. "Promise me, that you will find a way to get of Reach. Even if you have to hijack a Covenant warship, _get off Reach_. Please, make me this promise." Loosening her grip on him she fell to the ground, a quiet groan escaping her lips. _'Please,' _She mouthed at him.

"I… I promise." He said as he took one of her hands in his own. Rosenda smiled once again, before motioning him closer with her other hand. When he complied she gave him a short kiss on the cheek and forced something at his chest. Once again he looked for her eyes, only to find them closed one last time. Looking at what was now in his hands he found her helmet, a final gift from his dearest friend. Quickly he grabbed her dog tags and ripped them off her neck, as he ran from the location.

Covenant forces had managed to drop in additional reinforcements to ensure his death. A Phantom flew above him and began to fire its main weapon. Along the side closest to him the Grunt gunner began to lay down a barrage of rapid plasma fire to aid its transport ship. Plasma rounds grazed his armor and impacted the ground beneath him as he attempted to avoid as much of it as he could.

He grunted in pain as a single shot struck his right hand and melted its way through the armor. The injury did not slow him down and he forced the pain away from his mind as he had done thousands of times before it. The Phantom's heavy weapon fired a round that hit the surface several meters to his left. The impact caused pieces of super heated rock to fly out, striking his exposed face and leaving faint burn marks.

Leo could feel the muscles in his body begin to tense as it neared its breaking point. He forced his body to push onward as he refused to let it fail him. As his legs and lungs began to burn when he caught sight of a cliff face. Mentally he had been counting down from the timer Rosenda had set up and knew he had seconds left before the Orbital MAC station's slug struck the surface. The Spartan's ears picked up the sound of the accelerated large piece of mass as it entered the atmosphere.

Suddenly a Hunter pair jumped from a passing Spirit and blocked his only route of escape. Despite the new obstacle he did not slow down, unwilling to risk his body locking itself up on him in exhaustion. The pair of massive mobile heavy weapons roared as they brought up their main weapon in his direction. As one they fired and Leo barely managed to force his body to move in time to avoid them. The Spartan jumped over the lower of the two shots before moving his left arm outwards and allowing the second to pass him.

As his body landed once more he commanded his legs to begin moving at the same speed once again. One of the Hunter pair took several lumbering steps forward in an a second attempt to stop him. It brought its shield arm back before swinging the its main form of defense down before him. The shield landed directly before him and the soldier launched his arms outward to grasp the sharp edges of the shield.

The Spartan-III quickly hauled himself up and over the massive alien and landed on the head of its fellow Hunter. As it moved to strike him down he leapt off its head and continued his run towards the edge of the cliff. As he neared the cliff face he heard an unbelievably loud sound hit his ears, causing a loud ringing. As he reached the edge of the cliff, the Super MAC round struck Rosenda's coordinates. The shockwave reached him and launched him off the ground. As his body continued to roll the down the hundreds of feet to the bottom of the cliff Leo blacked out.

_**A226 **_

Jun felt the ground shake beneath his feet and reached for something to steady himself. Around him the other Spartans were doing the same, save for Kelly who was holding the Doctor. As the shaking stopped Jun looked to the doctor.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. Surprising the doctor nodded and walked towards the nearest computer. Fingers moving with speed and precision he had never seen outside of the Spartans, the Doctor pulled up an image on the largest screen in the Command Room.

"It seems that one of the Orbital Defense Platforms fired at MAC at a position on the other side of the continent. Strange, it wasn't ordered by any UNSC commander. In fact I don't recognize this access code." An idea came to Jun as he thought more about what the doctor had said. A small knot of worry formed in his stomach before the Warrant Officer walked towards the computer to confirm his suspicions.

"Doctor, please let me see." Moving out of the way the doctor allowed him to scan the information. The access code immediately caught his attention. "I can't believe it."

"Warrant Officer. Explain." The doctor ordered calmly. Jun turned to face her. His helmeted face hiding his troubled expression. The sniper of Noble Team hesitated a moment before answering.

"Noble Six."

_**B312**_

Leo slid down the slope as quickly as he could, rocks and dust flying in the air, landing on his feet. However due to his momentum, injuries, and sheer exhaustion the Spartan-III failed to stop his body from falling forward. Despite all their augmentations, their training, the technology behind their armor, and their sheer will the Spartans were still human. And even they, Super-Soldiers that they were, also had their breaking points.

Breathing heavily and through gritted teeth, Leo pushed himself off of the rocky ground and onto his back. Removing the helmet Rosenda had given him the Spartan took several deep breaths, exhaling each slowly to avoid further injury from his multiple broken ribs. The last thing he needed was for one of the puncture a lung, of all the things that could happen that was not the way Leo wanted to go out.

He'd awoken just under an hour ago, nearly night and had started heading in the direction of CASTLE Base. Most of it was downhill, and as proven by his recent fall down the slope, he was exhausted.

_To whatever higher being exists in this insane universe, _he thought ruefully, _If you're real then what the hell makes me so special you refuse to let me die, and just seem to want me to constantly suffer in pain? _Blinking his eyes quickly Leo began to feel some of the pain drifting away. His bones had yet to fully recover from his crash landing after Jorge had launched him out of the Corvette, and the new broken bones were not helping him. With a dark chuckle Leo imagined all the bones in his body as having been cracked multiple times in the past month.

Unfortunately, they probably were damaged in some way or another.

Leo put one hand inside the his new Commando helmet. The piece of equipment was of the same model as Carter's. Forgetting all feeling of pain, he reached with the fingers on his other hand towards the black visor. He was still alive, he had survived his attempted 'last stand.' A part of him was enraged at Rosenda for saving his life, at the expense of her own. It was another Spartan dying to save his own skin.

His eyes narrowing at the thought Six let out a quiet growl from his throat. Leo _wanted _to die. It was that simple the Spartan realized, he _never _wanted anyone die to save his life. Carter had sacrificed himself for the mission, and Jorge had done the same because he had believed it should be him who would save his home world. But now there was no reason to do that, no reason for the seventeen year old Spartan girl to kill herself.

Throwing the helmet at the nearest rock Noble Six felt his anger flare. In addition to his anger, an unbelievably sharp pain rose from his right hand. Cradling the hand he saw that the Grunt gunner seemed to have gotten a lucky shot in at him. There was a large exit hole where his wrist connected to his hand. Slowly he attempted to move the hand, and was disappointed to see it barely responded at all. With this new injury his anger cleared and was soon replaced by a feeling of loss.

Noble Six still found it hard to imagine that his oldest friend was truly dead now. She had been the closest thing he had to a _sister_, to _family_. If anyone should have sacrificed themselves for the other it should have been _him_! Then, like a Spartan he regained control of his emotions and saw the logic behind his oldest friend's end. She was dying, there was no way to stop that. But she could have saved him, and so she had.

But why did she have to call him _brother_. The shame that he had been unable to protect her hung over his head, threatening to send him into another mindless rage. Why did she have to hold on to him, begging him to promise he'd find a way off Reach? Suddenly the rage turned to uncontrolled sadness. Leo let the tears through his eyes, not even trying to stop them.

After having reined in some control Leo pushed himself off the rocky ground he had been grieving on. Making his way towards the helmet he thrown the Noble stared at the visor and saw his reflection. Hair shortened to almost Carter's length, bruises on his right cheek bone, tear stains, and lastly a defeated look in his eyes. He felt disgusted with himself.

Bending down Leo picked up the helmet, its black visor barely showing anything behind it. It was just like Carter's, just like his leader. Effective, easy to maintain, with multiple attachments to better command. The lieutenant felt unworthy of the piece of equipment, its green painted metal heavy in his hand. But he had promised Rosenda he would survive as long as possible, and get off Reach. The young woman had utterly no doubt in her mind that he would be able to do it. He did not share her certainty, but he would give it his all just like he always did.

Spinning the helmet around, the Spartan tilted it forward so that the inside stared back at him. With a sense of renewed purpose he moved the helmet closer to him. Sliding it down his head Noble Six felt the familiar feel of a fully equipped set of armor. His shields recharged now that the helmet was fixed to the rest of the suit, the sound easing the slight tension he felt in his stance.

It was at that point that he heard a sound that nearly stopped his heart with shock. _It couldn't be, there can't be any-_his thoughts were halted as the scream of a child sounded again. Snapping out of his momentary shock Leo focused on shrill cry for help. Turning in the direction it was coming from the Spartan-III ran as fast as he was able.

Running in between the dying trees he heard the child's voice growing louder. He also hear a familiar roar that sent chills down his spine. It was just his luck that a Guta would have somehow survived as well. Running up a hill he jumped over the crest and rolled down until he stopped the moment he saw it.

Large. At least twice his height, and at least three times his weight in his armor. Gray skin covered in scars and fresh burns. The hilt of an energy sword imbedded in its neck, a large scar on its right foreleg. Two seven foot long tusks. Instantly Leo realized exactly what he was up against.

The Guta from several weeks ago. With a sinking feeling, Leo realized it had somehow survived its injuries and made its way into this forest. His thoughts on the how, and why, were silenced the moment the beast let out a roar and charged him. With surprising speed it closed the distance between them. Leo had barely managed to avoid being trampled only to be struck by its left tusk.

The blow lifted him several feet into the air and nearly three dozen meters away. Using his newfound momentum the Spartan twisted himself so that he landed on the balls of his feet, the shock transferring up the rest of his body. His injured body protesting from the renewed strain Leo knew he was in trouble.

His mind and body were reacting much slower than they should have. This was a mindless beast operating on instinct. He'd destroyed ships, heavy vehicles, hundreds of enemies were killed by him. All of them had been harder than fighting something like the Guta.

So why did he come running into this fight with no plan? With no weapons whatsoever aside from his M6G with only half a magazine left. The answer was he was nearly broken, physically and mentally at that point. He knew it, and he half wondered if the beast did as well. Leo decided to go for it head on, he didn't have the firepower to take it out and if it came to a battle of endurance, well he was barely standing as it was.

The fact that the Guta only needed to hit him once head on did not make him feel anywhere near at ease. The Spartan-III locked eyes with his freakishly large foe, he saw a primal survival instinct behind its eyes. How ironic that two non-covenant life forms were about to kill one another because they both wanted to survive.

Suddenly they both made their move at the same time. The giant of steel, and the giant of flesh closing in on one another with lethal intent. As the Guta attempted to gouge him with its sharp tusks, Leo threw himself to the side. Grabbing onto the tusk that barely missed him by a foot the lieutenant held it tightly. As the beast began to try and shake him off it threw its head in the air.

Lifting him up rapidly would prove to be the end of their battle. The moment he had reached the maximum height he could hold onto, Leo swung himself on to the Guta's neck. Grabbing on to the energy sword he pulled as quickly as he could, praying the weapon still had some charge.

As he pulled the weapon out, the Guta had finally thrown him off. Landing on the ground hard, Leo rolled to avoid the heavy feet that had nearly trampled him. Activating the energy sword quickly he slashed at the nearest leg. The creature let out a cry of pain and pulled back momentarily. Taking advantage Leo slashed at its opposing hind leg, further paining the beast. Finally as it turned to face him he ran at it.

Sluggishly the freak of nature once again attempted swipe at him with its massive tusks. Once again it missed, though this he jumped onto its back and plunged the blade directly above where its brain was located. With a loud crashing sound, and a slight shaking, the beast fell dead.

After killing the creature Leo allowed himself to fall to the ground, landing on his right foot and turning it into a roll. He came face to face with the tiny child. Her dark hair contrasted heavily with her snow white pale skin. Her brown eyes held a mix of fear and awe, along with relief. After several seconds Noble Six fully kneeled before the little girl.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he kept his gaze locked on her small eyes. The little girl suddenly developed a change in appearance. The fear she showed replaced by an angelic smile as she ran to him. She wrapped her small arms around his neck, burying her face in his armored chest.

"Thank you mister! You saved me!" Surprised by the child's reaction Leo was stunned into stillness. Never, not once had he been treated with such a strange reaction. Certainly he'd seen parents do the same to their children, lover to their partners. The closest had been Rosenda's final embrace, but that was her saying goodbye to him. This…. This was new. So it was a strange disappointment that filled him when the little girl pulled away.

"Um. Your welcome?" He said almost sheepishly. Something to do with his reply brought a giggle from the child.

"Are you a knight?" Now _that_ was something he had never been called before. He'd heard hero, super human, freak, mistake, but never _knight_.

"Sorry to disappoint little one, but I am no knight. Spartan B312 at your service." He said formally with a curt nod. He felt as though he had made a mistake when the girl's smile disappeared.

"That's not a name." She said it as though it was the most important thing in the world.

"No, its not I suppose." The girl opened her mouth but was cut off by a shout.

"Rozsa! There you are!" Leo turned his head in the direction of the voice, an odd feeling of recollection in his mind. Which was soon replaced by shock as the young woman Jorge had talked to at the Visegrad Relay facility. The young woman also stopped upon seeing him. Her face changing from relief to one of disbelief.

"You!" She said with hesitation and barely hidden anger in her quiet voice. Leo, wisely chose not to give a response.

**AN: Well, I'm sorry this is a day late. I had an JROTC Drill Meet on Saturday and it was **_**exhausting! **_**If your wondering, yes. This time around Leo did not get out of that "last stand" of his without any real permanent physical injuries. **

**That lucky shot the Grunt Gunner got him? The one that went through his wrist? Yeah, the actual hole isn't that small. The injury, is that the plasma basically destroyed the tendons and nerves connecting the wrist, and the hand. In short, Leo's right hand is pretty much unusable now. Its not a big deal, but it won't be capable to do more than form a lose fist for a good while. **

**Someone recently put up a review asking if my Ghost Reapers story was over since I'm working on this. The answer is a definite, NO! If you people notice I'm leaving small reminders of that story, along with faint foreshadowing of events that will take place in it. **

**By the way, would you guys be interested if I started responding to your reviews at the start of every chapter? I notice some fan fic writers do that and I'm curious if you guys would think that's a good idea. **

**Also, I do have two other stories that I am dying to update. So this is the last update for at least a week. I want to put up at least one more chapter for one of my other stories before returning to this. **

**And I don't believe this, but I added almost 2000 extra words to this chapter than the original. Surprised me a lot actually. **

**One last thing. Has anyone played Dragon Age 2? I got it last Thursday and it is amazing! There are a lot of improvements to the original in my opinion, especially the changes to the Qunari. Made the whole, Ogres are born from Qunari Broodmothers more believable. The Elves also look less human and more their own species, which I like big time. **

**Actually the way its done is giving me an idea to actually try my hand at a fic for it sometime. Its not decided, but if I did it would probably be coming out around the beginning of summer. I have too many fics at this time and don't need another. **

**Now, in the words of the very likeable Dalish elf Merrill, **_**"I'll stop talking now." **_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer Notice: I do not own Halo in any sense, other than a copy of all games minus the original. I do however own my characterization of Noble Six, Leo, Rozsa, Voro, Voro's strike team(you'll meet them next chap), the Field Master Saal 'Tahamai, and any reference to my WIP prequel, Ghost Reapers. _

* * *

_Glory for the Chosen Few_

_**Ninth Age of Reclamation, (September 1, 2552, 0232 hours human time) **_

_**Covenant Army Sangheili Dn'end Legion, Unit Command Outpost**_

_**Commando**_

* * *

Special Operations Officer Voro 'Refumai led his personal Lance through the bustle of military activity, his pearl armor reflecting the rays of the setting sun. The camp had been set up just under three units* ago before he had found it. It was a true testament to the glory of the Covenant Military that the Outpost was controlling such a large campaign flawlessly, and after only being active for such a short time. In total nearly forty-thousand soldiers were moving about the four kilometers of land that was covered by the Command Outpost.

All around him the Sangheili Swordsman could see fellow warriors moving around the temporary brain of the main force of the Covenant Army on the continent. Several of which included other members of the Covenant Special Operations branch of the military; from the honored Unggoy who had proven themselves above the cannon fodder all the way to Sangheili who obtained the rank of Officer like him. All gave respect to him as he walked by them.

The Operations Officer was a veteran, a warrior who had fought for two decades in the Holy War against humanity. In that time he had proven his worth as a soldier, as well as a Swordsman, a hundred times over. Two of the Human's colonies had been glassed by the Covenant Navy after he had led successful infiltration missions to allow the fleets to arrive undetected. And before the war had even begun he had been in command of the Covenant force left on the Human world of Harvest after the Arbiter had left it.

As he neared the Control Center's he waved away the Lance following him. There was no need for his warriors to enter with him, and they had all done enough to warrant a rest. Without looking over his shoulder the Swordsman heard the sound of his Sangheili bringing their dominant arm up across their chest and the squeak of the Unggoy before all left his side. The Unggoy to replace their near empty methane tanks, and the Sangheili to tend to any injuries they had acquired.

Voro came to a halt as a three bonded pair of Mgalekgolo blocked his path for a moment. At the sound of a low growl the six massive beasts stepped back and allowed him passage. Bowing his several degrees he gave a grunt of acknowledgement which the Mgalekgolo returned in unison. Once done Voro began moving once again towards his destination at the center of the Outpost.

As he entered one of the only structures in the entire camp Voro allowed himself to relax somewhat. The tension in his body was released as he was surrounded by the comfort provided by the organized building. Turning to the right Voro walked down a long stretched corridor of metal. The Covenant Architecture in the building was exactly in line with what the Military had used since the very founding of the Holy Covenant itself. Dozens of centuries of use and it had remained constant throughout history.

Just as the Covenant Empire itself was. Unbroken, unshakeable, unchanged; this was the true face of those Chosen by the Gods themselves. It was a physical show of the combined loyalty and faith carried by the faithful. Voro made several turns and walked down even more empty corridors before he came across another life form. The final corridor which led towards the scheduled meeting was filled with Sangheili Honor Guards lining up both sides of the path.

As he continued on to his goal the first pair of Honor Guard he crossed broke their position. The pair soon fell instep to each side behind him and acted as a final escort. Beneath them the entire history of the unified Covenant Empire was etched into the metal of the floor. A reminder of past glories and the oath made by all Sangheili to uphold the Holy Covenant as it's guardians.

As Voro and the pair of Guards came to an abrupt halt in front of a door, they found that seconds later the door opened silently. As soon as it had opened the Honor Guard duo stepped back a single step before turning around and returning to their assigned station, their escort complete and duty returned to their prior action. Once again alone the Swordsman finally entered the command center for the hundreds of thousands of Covenant ground forces remaining on the surface. Already the majority of warships were pulling back units deployed to the surface to their respective stations. Several of the fleet's ships had already left system and made to return to High Charity or other systems to reinforce other active fleet assaults.

The room he had entered was brightly lit and held nearly three dozen Sangheili of various rank and position. All were stood in a semi circle surrounding a tall and imposing Golden armored Field Master. The Warrior given the honor of leading the final operation to eliminate the final concentration of the Humans of any worth on the planet. A veteran of nearly a century of service both to Sangheilios and the Covenant Empire. One who was as highly respected as the Supreme Commander himself.

The warrior who had fathered him.

As Voro joined the group of his fellow Sangheili he felt absolutely nothing of the fact. Field Master Saal 'Tahamai was the Swordsman who had mated with Voro's own mother. That did not mean that the other Swordsman was his _father_, that went to the man who had raised him as his son. For Voro, the Field Master deserved his respect as a fellow warrior, and at most some small thanks for his birth, but little more. Calmly the Special Operations Officer listened in to the briefing of the final true battle, and his first chance at glory on the planet which he could earn.

During the entire time he had spent in system aboard the _Bane of Heresy_, Voro had been unable to fight on the planet. Orders had prevented him from joining his fellows on the surface for the most glorious battle of the Crusade itself. This would be his final chance to obtain anything from this battle. If he failed, then all that remained would be the final assault on the Human's homeworld.

Voro felt his blood burn at the thought of waiting for that amount of time. The Swordsman would _not _be denied this, he refused to allow it to come to pass. Soon the Field Master began to speak as his eyes locked with those of all present.

"When we join the Covenant, we took an Oath," he began reciting the Writ of Union, one of the founding tenants of the Covenant. Voro and the additional Sangheili present began to speak in turn.

"According to our station! All without exception!"

"On the blood of our fathers... on the blood of our sons, we swore to uphold the Covenant!"

"Even to our dying breath!"

"For long have we followed these words," the Field Master continued. "Countless mountains of our dead fill a hundred worlds! Those who have obtained glory greater than any we can hope to achiever for dying to protect our Faith. Many more have joined them of late, and at the hands of the Human presence of this world. They are the Heretics for whom we have been given an honor few are worthy of bearing. The honor of removing those whose existence mock our Gods with every breath taken!"

Voro narrowed his eyes somewhat as the golden armored warrior spoke. He did not see the genocide of all Humans as an honor. What honor he saw was in culling the weakest of Humanity, so that the best of them would be made to join with and strengthen the Covenant. Few were the number of races to have fought against the entire might of their empire, and survive for so long without being converted. He did however agree that the Field Master was correct on at least one point.

The millions of faithful dead from the beginning of their assault to the present was the sign of a massacre; both for the Humans and the Covenant. By simply surviving as long as their race had, and by causing such loss to their opponents, Voro believed Humanity was ready to join them. If for no other reason than to make up for the large losses the Covenant Military had sustained. The Officer kept his words to himself however, and allow the Field Master to continue.

"A human city, has not been taken by our Army yet, and remains the last Human bastion on this world. The bulk of what few of their forces remaining are within the city. I have conferred with the Acting Commander of all Covenant forces within this system. He has given us leave to take this city without the aid of the Navy."

_Fidelias, _Voro thought of his Ship Master, _was this why you sent me? Am I on the surface because he convinced you, or because you decided to return a favor from our past? _The Sangheili Swordsman decided to make a note to speak with his Ship Master when the next met.

"We have received important information from several units of our Army located within the Human city. This information is the knowledge that there are at least several of the Demons fighting alongside their regular forces as well," the Field Master paused before then speaking again a faintly annoyed tone of voice. "Special Operations Officer, Voro 'Refumai is hereby ordered to lead a detachment of Special Operations to eliminate this threat."

After hearing that last fact Voro forced himself to move past the other Sangheili in front of him, before coming to a stop before the Field Master. Dropping to one knee, Voro lowered his head, and placed a single arm over chest, the top of the hand against his shoulder. His hearts began beating at twice their speed as he forced himself to refrain from roaring out in triumph.

"By your word, Field Master. I will take four Lances and deal with the Demons personally. I am honored to be chosen for this task," he said respectfully, and truthfully. As he was made to rise again Voro's mind raced with plans to make good on his order.

The Sangheili Swordsman had never fought one of the nightmarish Demons the Humans had produced. What he _had _heard however, was that in small units they could annihilate entire regiments of Covenant ground troops. In fact Voro had been one of the first to hear that the _Long Night of Solace_, one of the Fleet of Particular Justices' most honored warships, had been destroyed after an unknown amount of Demons had programmed a Corvette to ram itself into the Carrier.

With luck, and Voro felt that the Gods were already smiling upon him with this latest assignment, he would find of those Demons. His mandible twitched slightly in anticipation.

* * *

_**September 1, 2552, 0322 Hours**_

_**Fourteen miles northwest of Aszod Ship Breaking Yards**_

_**B312**_

Spartan-B312 continued to stare at the young woman, who balefully stared right back at him. He did not need to have to deal with this; Leo was tired, injured, and barely able to move think and move without the pain paralyzing him. What the Spartan needed was at least a few, short luxurious, hours of rest to recharge his batteries. So to speak that is; he had lost count of the number of times he had heard the Spartans referred to as robots. The small reprieve he sought however was something which the fact that there were two civilians standing in front of him, one dismayed and the other in awe, severely complicated.

Mentally he was cursing whatever God existed for having a grudge against him. How else could this be explained? Clearing his throat Leo prepared to speak, just as he felt something hit his visor. Glancing he saw a thin watery line, barely visible to even his own eyes. This line was soon followed by another, and soon yet another.

_Great, _the soldier thought, _this has to be proof that whatever_ _Almighty being exists must have some sort of grudge with me_. Leo was a rarity among all the Spartans to have fought for the UNSC and humanity. He was a rarity in the fact that he was somewhat religious. Maybe it was that he had never been very religious as a child, before being taken into the SPARTAN-III Program.

Perhaps it had been a subconscious idea that by holding onto some of that belief, his family would be returned to him. Or perhaps that it would allow him to survive the unknown future ahead of him at the time. Whatever the case may have once been Leo had chosen to keep his Faith as something to distinguish himself from the other Spartans. Something to remind him he was _Leo_ first and a Spartan second.

He remembered a church, and a very boring, and very fat priest. Wouldn't that be something against one of the Seven-

And what was he thinking? Shaking his head Leo was more certain than ever that he need a real nights sleep, or the nearest he could get. He could not operate like a Spartan if his mind was so weary that it wasn't even thinking about his situation. Taking a step towards Sara, Leo decided to follow Jorge's example towards dealing with the girl.

This was where his time spent outside his armor showed its worth. Outside it Leo looked like a normal twenty-two year old. He had trained himself to appear normal for his unarmored black-ops missions. Because of this, he knew the shock that came over her face was due in no small part due to his expression.

Leo knew his lips were turned into a tentative, albeit reluctant and to extent forced, smile, knew his eyes showed a sympathetic understanding, and his face was certainly not the stony emotionless face that other Spartans carried with them. No it was without a doubt a face that obviously showed how utterly exhausted he was. That was something that judging by the dark bags beneath slightly bloodshot eyes they had in common.

"Miss. Sorvad, I would like to continue this conversation, but not here. As a soldier I like to avoid any location that is far too open and indefensible," he began and made a gesture of the area. "Ignoring that, it's getting darker, and it's about to start raining soon. I doubt that you would have lived this long on Reach without having set up sufficient shelter before sunset. Is your shelter within a kilometers distance?" he asked. While he could, and would even relish, sleeping in a freshly dug foxhole there was no chance that he would willingly leave the two girls alone. Especially when one of the pair was intriguing and appeared to look as though she couldn't have been more than eight or nine years of age.

"Mister Spartan, the thingy that you stopped," Rozsa said pointing with her left hand at the Guta. "I saw its cave. I was trying to find someplace where I could take a nap, and then it woke up. I can show you, I think." The child promptly smiled warmly at him, happy to see his face. It felt odd and at the same time relaxing. The few whom had seen him outside of his armored skin, knowing full well what he was, had looked at him with shock written over their faces. Rozsa on the other hand looked like a child who had been told their holiday wishes had come through in the end.

_Maybe she just had a bet or something about just that, _the Spartan pondered silently. _I remember a few people in Beta Company who were that way before we were well into our training phase. Then we were all protocol and seriousness…Well all of us minus Jasmine._

Something about that smile seemed infectious to the young soldier, and Leo tried to give the young child his warmest smile. She visibly beamed at the response to her suggestion. Turning back to Sara the little girl silently begged the older girl to agree. In response Sara merely sighed deeply before reluctantly nodding her head slowly, refusing to meet his eyes. That was fine by him; there was something about the scientist's daughter that made him feel something akin to nervousness. However being a Spartan, he ensured that none of it was existent in his facial expression.

"All right then," he said turning to look back at Rozsa while extending his hand in as non-threatening way as he could before speaking with the utmost professionalism. "Lead on ma'am." The raven-haired girl smiled at being referred to in such a way, and eagerly grasped his large hand between one of her own. Her small and fragile hand could not wrap itself even halfway around his appendage.

"It's this way, c'mon Mister Spartan, Sara. It looked real big, but I think that thing does have to live in a real big place. It's huge!" As he listened to the child continue to talk Leo placed the helmet back over his head. Rozsa stopped talking as she saw him cover his face. "Why'd you do that Mister? I can't see your face now, mean guy." The girl pouted at him before turning to lead him on.

Mentally Leo was curious as to how odd the present seen may have looked from an outside perspective. He was a Spartan Super Soldier; the most famous, and some said infamous, group of Humans to have ever lived. He and his brethren were view as the most skilled weapons in the entire UNSC arsenal having earned a kill count higher than several entire ODST divisions.

"Procedure, all SPARTANS are under orders to keep their helmets on at all times while in a combat zone." He replied immediately.

"'Combat Zone,' what's that?" Rozsa asked innocently. The lieutenant stared at her for a split-second in shock before remembering her age. He would have to find a way to answer what questions he could in a very simple manner. For a lifetime soldier such as he, that seemed very strange. _But then again, _he thought, _she is just a child. I never really had to deal with those more than once all this time. I could really use Jorge right now_. He thought sorrowfully. Somehow the little girl seemed to sense his change in mood. "What's wrong Mister?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking of a friend I lost."

"If he really is lost, why not find him? You found me!"

"Maybe. But I'm sorry to say I wasn't looking for you," his thoughts were mulling over the little girls latest words. _Find Jorge….If only there was something to _find_, maybe. _Shaking his head millimeters he turned his attention back to look at Rozsa. "And a combat zone is where a lot of bad things happen. Wherever the Covenant is, just as an example, always going to be a combat zone." He asked, all the while looking in all directions for signs of the aforementioned alien alliance. He noticed that Sara seemed to be heading in a different direction. "Miss Sorvad, may I ask where you are going?" The woman continued on with little reaction to show she had heard. Her response showed otherwise.

"Rozsa and I had a small campsite not far from here. We had medical supplies, food, water, and a now worthless radio." Still not looking back at him she raised her hand and waved side to side. "I followed Rozsa to the cave before the Guta attacked; I'll meet up with you there. And Spartan," she said finally looking over her shoulder at him, "you better protect Rozsa, understand."

Leo nodded before turning to Rozsa once again. He motioned with a slight movement of his chin to keep leading him. How strange that was, a lieutenant in the UNSC Naval Special Warfare Command being led by a civilian girl too young to be seeing what was happening to her home. The Noble wondered briefly if she understood their situation, that there was no assistance from Earth coming to rescue them. They were truly all alone behind what was now enemy controlled space. Not to mention their lack of any amount of hope to actually survive the occupation.

_**Stop that! **_He commanded his thoughts angrily. _You promised you would find a way off this world, and you will keep it. _Looking down at the back of the child Leo couldn't help the small smile, _doubly so now Spartan._ Noticing that she seemed to be walking slower the Spartan took note of her rapidly blinking eyes. The raven haired girl must have been exhausted, he remembered his first days of training and he wasn't much younger than her. He recalled that young children tired quickly.

Deciding that she had been through enough for the day, the Spartan stopped walking behind her. She took two more steps before noticing that weight behind her was not following. When he released her hand she quickly turned around; only to be caught and placed safely on his left shoulder. The child released a squeak of surprise before looking down into the upraised black visor of his temporary helmet.

"You just looked tired to me," he answered her unspoken question just as he resumed walking. "Try and stay awake just a little longer, I need you to point out where I have to go. Wouldn't want to get lost out here would we?" Rozsa nodded her head slowly before attempting to stifle a yawn. Still she did not fall asleep until she had finished giving directions to him, and as he noticed the outline of the Guta's cave he heard a quiet and steady snoring coming from his arms.

Without his realizing it Leo had raised his arms up slightly. Sometime after doing that Rozsa had wrapped her small arms around his neck, laid her head under his armored helmet, and fallen to sleep. As he entered the dark and large mouth of the cave Leo stopped. The smell from the inside of was making its way through his suit's air filters. With a snort of disgust he continued on into the warm and relatively safe cave.

The Covenant was not glassing this part of Reach for some reason, or at least not yet. That meant that his assumption about CASTLE Base was more than likely correct. Which would also meant that the enemy would have any ground troops they did send patrolling a perimeter near CASTLE Base's location. After setting Rozsa down gently on a piece of ground that had none of the Guta's excrements, he looked down at the TACPAD he had liberated from Rosenda.

Tapping his fingers gently, yet precisely he pulled up a holographic map of the continent. He located the position of CASTLE, and then found his own coordinates. He was a good three days away on foot, and that was if he intended to continue on at the pace that Rozsa and Sara would set. As he would not leave them behind, three days would be the time. Upon further study he managed to locate several large heat signature concentrations; _tens _of _thousands _of heat signatures.

_Just another day being a Noble_, he thought grimly. Shaking his head in amusement Leo determined that he was more or less, two and a half days from the Covenant excavation forces at the former CASTLE base. Assuming that the Elites had similar beliefs on maintaining an effective patrol, they should have some forces at least half a days march from the main position. So at least two days before he would encounter the next Covenant force.

He was adequately satisfied with that. It would give him time to rest up, heal his injuries, and get back to the combat mentality that he had before being a member of Noble Team. Until he confirmed Jun's survival, Leo was alone and would be going Lone Wolf for the time being. Despite it being only a little over a month since his joining of Noble, he had surprising fit in well into team operations, _too _well he supposed considering they were all dead.

Wincing slightly, Leo decided he would remove his helmet. With confirmation that he was not in danger of having his throat slit by a Stealth Elite he felt that he could relax somewhat. Searching for a large rock formation he would begin to check the condition of his armor, and the severity of his dozens of injuries.

Even now he could feel the pain, and it barely allowed him to function clearly even for the Spartan he was. Leo assumed that the state his body was in would be painful to the point of crippling for any other marine and likely most of the ODSTs. Glancing left and right his eyes soon rested on a stalactite that was about a head shorter than he was in armor, and just as wide across. After setting his helmet on the top, he decided to chance a fire.

The direction of the cave was in the direction of the MAC strike programmed by Rosenda. In addition to that, miles away he could just about make out the cloud of smoke that signified a forest fire. Any Covenant forces that glanced in the direction of the cave would see it mixed in with the flames of the larger fires. All in all he was in a safe enough position to utilize the flame. Or rather _they_ were.

Glancing over his still armored shoulder, Leo rested his eyes on the young child quietly sleeping as though everything else was as normal as could be. As though the threat of death wasn't constantly looming over them, that if the Covenant found them they would killed in the most painful ways possible. Once again he stopped himself from continuing such thoughts. _Whoa, I really must have spent a bit too much time alongside Emile. Dying a painful way is _almost _beginning to sound normal. Have to stop that, like it or not it's not just me again. _

* * *

_**September 1, 2552, 0403 Hours**_

_**ONI CASTLE Base**_

_**A226**_

Jun disassembled his prized Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Material, and then pulled out a piece of cloth from one of his packs. After setting each of the individual parts on a sterile, and cleared evident by the sparking computers on the floor near it, he began to clean his tool of destruction. One by one he began to inspect each part for any sign of damage, and then he slowly and deliberately moved the cloth over his weapons skeleton.

All the while he could feel the stares the Spartan-II's were giving him, despite the fact that only he had chosen to remove his helmet. All of Noble Team had lightly tanned skin from their time spent in the field without their helmets, judging from the way the other Spartans acted he assumed they rarely or never did as such.

This would translate to seeing an unknown Spartan soldier, one with an officer's rank, who removed his helmet for no real reason, and whom was lightly tanned, as strange at best, suspicious at worst. However that did not meant he thought they would leave him to die; after all despite his unknown origin he was human and he was a Spartan. No other human could utilize MJOLNIR armor, and that meant one part of his story was unquestionably true.

Curiously the only two that really stared seemed to be Isaac and Kelly. Vinh seemed to be indifferent to his existence; a Spartan was a Spartan he assumed was her mindset. He had memorized the slight differences in the damage each of their armors had, and was now able to distinguish the identities of Halsey's Spartans. Yes, he mused to himself that was what they were. Yet another difference between him and this team, this family. They saw Dr. Halsey as an equal, and he assumed they would rather act on her orders than even Lord Terrence Hood's own.

He and the rest of Noble Team were Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose's Spartans, they were the ones deemed _disposable_. Oh how he loathed that word with every fiber of his being. A Spartan was a Spartan, none of them were disposable each of them were worth a great deal. And yet, despite the rest of Noble Team's long list of accomplishments, they were continuously being sent on suicidal missions. _Still,_ he thought as a grim smirk was formed on his face, _they were missions deemed to dangerous for even a small number of Spartan-II's. That is something I suppose. _

Sighing he closed his eyes. Regardless of their status one fact remained the same; he truly doubted that he and Six would truly fit in with them. He assumed that at least Six may be alive; if the other members of Noble Team had survived with him then it would have been Carter's access code, not the Lieutenants. The two class of Spartan perhaps would reach some form of a working relationship that was certain, but not the same camaraderie as they would have shared with their own Spartan brothers and sisters.

He snorted. In that regard, they were alike. The feeling of loss and sorrow that came with such a thing was almost universal. Still, he did not like being stared at. Especially when he did not exactly know anything about the person whom had eyes on him.

Suddenly he heard Doctor Halsey's voice boom over the COM, her voice carrying an undertone of fear.

"Get back to the labs ASAP; there may be a way out!" The moment the words had stopped he felt the unmistakable shaking that signaled severe structural damage to CASTLE. Quickly and with the lighting speed reflexes of a Spartan, he had reassembled his Sniper's Rifle and put the cloth back in his pack. Slipping his helmet back on Jun double timed his way to catch up with the now gone Spartan II team. As he and the Spartan-II's ran towards the lab, the Warrant Officer opened a channel to Kelly.

"The Doctor is no longer in contact Spartan, head to her last known and find her." The Spartan took an extra half second to acknowledge than she should've, but then she bounded off in the Doctor's direction faster than any Spartan-III he had seen. _Is that because she is one of the Spartan-II class, an unknown genetic variable, or a slight difference in the argumentations of the two projects? _As he, Vinh, and Isaac rounded a turn and found their way to the Medical Lab, Fred and Will had just arrived carrying what he assumed to be new rifles, ammunition, food and water, medical supplies, and perhaps spare parts for their MJOLNIRs.

Then his eyes caught sight of the Doctor, broken nose and blood dripping supported by Kelly.

"I'm fine, just fine." She said trying to stand, only to nearly fall to the ground. Both he and Fred leapt forward and caught her before she landed. After sweeping her into his arms and handing her to Fred another powerful detonation resonated over them causing the powerfully constructed walls to crack slightly.

"Doctor Halsey, I am picking up Covenant contacts nearing this facility," announced the AI known as Kalmiya over the reverberating sound of synchronized explosions. For once Jun was actually glad the AI was here.

"Down the Elevator. Sigma Elevator Shaft, it'll lead us to a safe location." The Doctor said holding up a data pad for all to see. Jun had a feeling he knew exactly where the elevator shaft would lead. More caves.

"And let me guess. We have to blow up the place behind us so as not to let any alien freaks in, right Doctor?" Jun asked taking a step forward to pick one of the new rifles. It was similar to the DMR, but it had weaker scope. It also had a clip size double that of the Marksman's Rifle, and had a slightly longer muzzle, and upon quick inspection of the rounds fired larger bullets.

It would take some time, but he could get used to working with this model. Still, he was old fashioned, and would choose his preferred DMR if given the choice.

"Correct Noble Three." The doctor's face was turning slightly paler. Placing his long range weapon on his back, Jun switched the safety off of his new weapon and held it in his hands.

"All right. Those Satchel Charges?" Jun asked Fred, who then nodded. "All right then, 39, 29 take 'em. You'll be our demo team." Jun joined will and picked up several of the boxes with him as Fred gave out more orders. The doctor then spoke with Kalmiya, and activated Operation: Whiteglove. To his quiet surprise she then activated some program which erased the AI. Shaking his head as he the other Spartans began moving, he decided to question the good doctor later. When they were not in immediate danger of dying would be the proper time.

Hurrying through they came across a team of Stealth Elites. Kelly was the one to engage them alone. The woman unloaded half a clip from the one of the pair of M7 Submachine guns at the lead Elite, quickly removing his shields and penetrating its chest armor. As the body fell Kelly jumped and landed on its falling back before using it as a spring board for another jump. While in the air she fired a second volley from the same weapon at a second Elite before landing on it feet first. She then pulled back her left foot before rapidly driving it into the alien's face with enough force to crush the skull.

The action had been done in less than seven seconds and the rest of the team were only now beginning to attack Kelly. Several burst of plasma fire struck her and weakened her armor's shielding before she could fall back. Soon the other Spartans had begun to lay down a steady and accurate barrage of fire to protect her. While the Stealth Elites were momentarily distracted by the additional Spartans Kelly dropped one of her M7s' before pulling off a grenade and throwing it in the center of the Elite team. The female Spartan quickly lowered herself closer to the ground to reduce the amount of damage to her shields from the resulting explosion.

The grenade detonated in the midst of the group of alien soldiers halting the incoming bursts of blue plasma. A roar of pain and rage echoed all around the Spartans as half of the remaining invaders fell behind the newly created shroud of dust. Jun moved his augmented eyes to lock on a faint outline which yet stood tall. The Noble Team sniper moved his new Battle Rifle to aim at the living Elite and fired. The Spartan-II Super Soldiers around him attacked the remaining enemy warriors a split second after the first casing had been ejected from his own weapon. A scattered number of restrained cries followed the crackle of Human weaponry as the short firefight was ended.

Jun glanced slightly at the other Spartans as they all began running towards the elevator once again. Kelly, having began to sprint the moment her grenade detonated, led the pack with her sole M7 covering their advance at the ready for additional skirmishes. As he ran alongside them Jun began to think more on the lack of unity in their assault. To the Spartan-III, the split second between his first shot and the coordinated Spartan-II burst was troubling.

Commander Ambrose placed a heavy emphasis on team work and coordination following Alpha Company's destruction. If he, the other Spartans, and Halsey were to have any chance to survive the Covenant occupation of Reach then they would need to work in sync with one another. _Working with an ODST would be easier than working with these guys_, thought the Warrant Officer.

His thoughts were brought to an immediate halt as he saw Kelly pick up her pace slightly. And that meant that they were _so _close to their final means of escape; and he would be damned if he were to allow himself to die so easily. After all he did still need to find out Six's whereabouts; they were still a team until the moment when he set his sight on definitive proof of his fell Noble's death. Knowing full well that several Spartan-II's must have escaped somehow, Jun did not need to ask the older soldiers for him to know similar thoughts were going through their heads.

Finally they arrived at the empty shaft. One by one they each jumped onto the cables, and slid down its length. Following the doctors instructions they reached safety just as the most powerful roared over their heads and the ONI base they had just been in collapsed above them. After several minutes of waiting, and no additional explosions they determined that they were safe for the moment.

"Well. Anyone else guess that we would end up somewhere underground?" Jun tried to joke as he popped a flare and their location was filled in a green light.

* * *

**AN: Well, here it is. I must say, I really am surprised that I got this up a little earlier than planned. But hey, I finished it and the proofreading ahead of schedule. I like that. My Spring Break updates begin today, with this new chapter of Noble Life V2. Expect an update for another story in two days. Possibly even a long intro to a new story if I fell like it. **

**Well I bet some of you are surprised that I introduced Voro earlier this time around. That is open for debate in my opinion. Yes: Voro was introduced at an earlier point in the story. However his main purpose to hunt down Leo, and thus the point where he becomes relevant to the plot, will not be changed. I only decided to bring him out earlier to add a bit more action to the story as I rewrite it. **

**You guys enjoy having some more background to chew on about Voro?**

…**.Thought so. **

**And I do have a single short question for you all here. Do any of you happen to have a Gamefly subscription? I am thinking of starting one up, but I could use an explanation on whether or not its worth the cost. Possibly even a summary on how it works to?**

**I got nothing to say right now. Out, and enjoy the fiction.**


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